12357 Serves 4 Wed Aug 06 01:05:18 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 11:18:31 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12357 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:18:31 GMT I would suggest serving these gently cooked, delicious breasts with Michel Guérard's Pureed Celery Root with Apples (page 331) and Red Wine–Cooked Onions (page 348). In autumn, you can serve them with Cèpes in the Style of Gascony (page 337) and Potatoes in the Style of Quercy (page 341). And in summer, try the Baked Eggplant Studded With Garlic (pages 333–334), and a good dollop of moutarde violette (page 24) or Languedoc Walnut, Garlic, and Oil Liaison (pages 36–37).

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About 1 hour before serving, remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator and while the fat is still cold, shave off the thinnest layer from the skin with a very thin, long bladed knife to remove the little “bumps,” then score in very small crosshatch marks at a 45-degree angle all over the skin side. Remove the little fillet underneath, if desired, and reserve for some other purpose. Let the duck come to room temperature while you light a fire in a charcoal grill or heat your lava stones on low. If you are using a gas grill, preheat it to medium while the duck rests at the end of Step 2.

Set a cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until hot. Salt the fat side of the breast and place in the pan fat side down. Immediately, reduce the heat to moderately low and let the fat slowly melt in the skillet for 8 to 10 minutes, depending upon size. Five or six times tilt the skillet and spoon off all the expressed fat. (Save it for cooking.) You do not want the magret to cook too quickly; the goal is to extract as much fat as possible. At this point, the skin should be golden but not brown; it will crisp up when it is grilled. Do not turn the duck over to sear the flesh side. Simply remove the duck, skin side down, to a rack or a sheet of paper towels or crumpled brown paper and let rest for at least 10 minutes.

When the coals are reduced to embers, salt and pepper the flesh side of the duck and set to grill, skin side facing the heat. Have long tongs ready to move the duck around to avoid flare-ups and burning fat. Grill for 2 minutes, or until the skin is nicely browned with some bits of black here and there. Flip over to the flesh side and cook 3 more minutes, or until the duck is done to your choice: With thumb and middle finger, pinch meat under the skin side. If the flesh springs back quickly, it is rare; if there is some give, it is medium. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for a few minutes. The flesh should be rare or pink. To serve, slice crosswise on the diagonal, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and serve hot. One whole Moulard breast should yield about 18 to 24 slices.

If you don't have a grill, the Moulard breast can be broiled. Set the broiler rack about 5 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler while the duck is resting.

A large Muscovy breast can be substituted for the Moulard. Make a few shallow incisions in the fat. Soak the duck breast in your favorite salt brine overnight or the Brine for Muscovy Duck Breast on pages 172–173. Since there is less fat to be expressed, you can completely grill the Muscovy duck breasts over the embers, for 8 to 10 minutes on the fat side, and 3 to 5 minutes on the flesh side. Watch for flare-ups and move the duck around accordingly. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

]]> http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 2 boneless Moulard duck breast halves (magrets), 1 to 1¼ pounds each

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